Gas valve for airships



Nw 252 w24 P. JARAY GAS VALVE FOR AIRSHIPS Filed Sept. 3. 19221 2 @mets-Smm 1 mgm:

P. JARAY GAS VALVE FDR AIRSHIPS Filled Sept. 5. l

.tatented Nov. 25, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL JARAY, OF FRIEDRICHSI-IAFENO'N-'IHE-BODENSEE, GERMANY, ASSIGNOR TO THE FIRM LUF'ISCHIFFBAU 'ZEPIPELIN G. M. B. H., OF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN A. B.,

GERMANY.

GAS VALVE FOR AIRSHIE'S.

Application led September To all who/nt at may concern:

Be it known that I, PAUL JARAY, a citizen of the Hungarian Republic, and residing at Friedrichshafen-on-the-Bodensee, Germany, have invented new and useful Improvements in Gas Valves for Airships (for which I have tiled applications in Germany, June 27, 1919, Patent No. 362,123, and August 12, 1920; England, July 14, 1921, and April 25, 1921; Spain, March 31, 1921, Patent No. 334,472), of which the following is a specilication.

My invention refers to airships and more particularly to the safety valves arranged in the walls of the gas cells provided in such airships. It is a particular object of my invention to provide means for ensuring re,- liable working of these valves in all positions which the airship may assume.

It is well known to persons skilled in the art that the safety valves must be arranged to open and blow ott of themselves whenever the admissible gas pressure acting on the wall of a gas cell is exceeded. However, all the safety* valves hitherto in use, and quite especially the spring-loaded valves, involve a number of serious drawbacks. In order to avoid these drawbacks it has already been proposed to utilize the variations of form of the gas cells resulting from the differences of pressure arising at different altitudes. However, the systems in question were rather complicated, requiring either special diaphragms or compensators.

The present invention, while making use of the changes of form spoken of, entirely dispenses with all such devices and merely provides means near the outer surface ot the cell and operated by a shifting of the wall oi the cell for opening this valve.

In the drawings aiiixed to this specilication and forming part thereof an airship embodying my invention is illustrated diagrammatically by way of example.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section ot' a pair of adjoining gas cells with the safety valves and their accessories shown at an exaggerated scale.

Fig. 2 is a like view illustrating a modication.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section, drawn to a greatly enlarged scale, of a third modication.

3, 1921. Scrial No. 498,358.

Referring first to Fig. 1, 20, 20 are the two gas cells, 22 are valves fitted with springs 24 and bell crank levers 23 arranged to close openings 21 in the end walls of said cells. Cords or wires 25 guided by sheaves 26 are connected to the shorter arms of bell crank levers 27 articulated to the frame of the airship in close vicinity to the bottom of each cell in its lowermost position and carrying plates 28.

As long as the gas pressure in the cell does not act towards fully stretching the walls of the cells, the cell bottom will not contact with the plate on the bell crank lever or, if being in contact therewith, will not cause it to rock to the extent of exerting a strong pull on the cord or wire. As soon, however, as the inner gas pressure rises so far that the bottom of the cell is depressed and stretched fully, its pressure acting on the lever will cause it to pull the cord or wire and to open the valve connected toit. As soon as the gas in excess has blown olf, the` pressure on the cell bottom ceases, the bottom will give way, the cord or wire will become slack and the spring will close the valve again.

In the modification shown in Fig. 2 the valve 38 which closes the opening 35, is disposed outside the cell, being held down on its seat by a. spring 37 connected to a cross arm 3G of thc valve seat. 40 is a sheave in front of the valve, 39 is the cord or wire leading from the valve across the sheave to the bell crank lever 27 which is applied in this instance against the lower part of the Y end wall of the cell` and will be opera-ted by this wall in the manner already described in connection with Fig. 1.

r["he modification disclosed in Fig. 3 ditvfers from those above described. in several respects. Here the valve is arranged to close a spring 2 in the top wall ot the gas cell 1. The valve rod 4 is articulated to single-armed lever 5 pivoted to a support 6 and having its free end connected by aid of a cord or wire 7 to the tree arm 9 of the bell crank lever 8, the longer arm of which is held in contact with a. corner of the cell bottom by a spring 11. A wide hose 14 is suspended from the top wall of the cell below the valve and extends almost down to the bottom of the cell. A cord or wire 12 guided by a sheave 13 connects the lever 5 with a cover 'l5 hinged to the outer envelope i6 so as to close an opening 17 provided in this envelope right above the valve.

This valve is operated by the bell crank lever and the cell bottom in the manner described above with reference to Figs. l and 2, the spring l1 counterbalancing the weight of the valve and the lever 5. vWhenever the valve is opened, the lever 5 will also cause the hinged cover 14 to be opened and to uncover the opening above the valve, thus allowing the gas blown oif to escape into the atmosphere, whereby the formation of an explosive mixture below the envelope is avoided.

The hose 14 serves for providing that the denser gas accumulated near the bottom of the cell is blown ofi first, so that no loss of light gas is experienced. l wish it to be understood that l do not desire to be limited to the exact details shown and described, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

l claim l. In a rigid airship the combination of a gas cell, a valve in a wall of said cell, mechanism outside of said cell adapted to be moved by movements of the cell wall resulting from an increase in gas pressure in the cell, and operative means connecting such mechanism with said valve.

2. A. device as characterized in claim l in which such mechanism comprises a lever adapted to contact with the wall of the cell and a spring adapted to hold the lever in contact with the wall of the cell.

3. Rigid airship comprising in combination, a gas cell, a safety valve in the top wall of the said cell, means near the outer surface of said cell and connected with said valve for influencing the operative position of said valve, and a hose extending within said cell from said valve downwards into the vicinity of the cell bottom.

4. Rigid airship comprising in combination, a gas cell, an outer envelope enclosing said cell, a safety valve in the top wall of said cell, means near the outer surface of said cell and connected with said valve for influencing` the operative position of said valve and a gas exhaust in said envelope above said valve.

5. Rigid airship comprising in combination, a gas cell, an outer envelope enclosing said cell a safety valve in the top wall of said cell, means near the outer surface of said cell and connected with said valve for influencing the operative position of said valve, a normally substantially closed gas exhaust in said envelope above said valve and means for opening said exhaust to gether with said valve.

ln testimony whereof l ahx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

PAUL JARAY. Witnesses HANS BAUMEISTER, lVILHnLM BERG. 

